1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dual condition air-bag system, and more particularly, to an arrangement of the air-bag system in an aircraft to reduce drag on an aircraft after ejection of a store from the aircraft, and to reduce movement of a store loaded in the aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many aircraft are designed to transport stores, such as bombs or missiles, to a target area for release at the desire of the pilot or another crew member of the aircraft. A number of these aircraft have store carriers arranged to enable the store to depend from the aircraft when loaded thereon. Several types of store carrier attaching devices, primarily hooks to engage lugs fixed to the store, are in use on aircraft to releasably retain the stores whether the aircraft is on the ground or in the air. To steady the store while it is being carried in flight to the point at which it is to be released, sway braces are usually required to prevent undesired movement during in-flight maneuvers and ground operations, such as taxiing. Such attaching devices and sway braces are generally required to extend beyond the envelope or exterior surface of the aircraft.
As do all components of an aircraft which extend externally beyond the envelope of the aircraft, this type of store carrier creates turbulence around the store carrier and the stores. Additionally, drag is created on the aircraft, and a radar cross-section signature (RCS) of the aircraft is defined. The signature images emitted at the store-carrier-to-aircraft interface and at the store-to-store carrier interface, are emitted due to sway braces and various other discontinuities that exist in the store carrier such as service covers, holes, bolt and rivet heads.
Bombs, when carried in conventional bomb-bays, are housed within the bomb bay by suitable racks attached to the interior of the aircraft fuselage. The bomb-bay opening is ordinarily closed by a pair of bomb-bay doors which swing outwardly to permit dropping of the stores or bombs through the resulting opening. With this arrangement, there is formed in the bottom of the fuselage, a relatively large opening which, at high speeds, causes an extremely turbulent flow of air into the bay cavity when the doors are open. In fact, it is found that at high speeds, the air is sufficiently turbulent in and around the bay cavity that bombs released from their racks in the ordinary fashion, will actually tumble around inside the bomb-bay. Moreover, the bomb-bay opening and the protruding bomb-bay doors cause a very great increase in drag during the critical bomb run as well as creating an unacceptable radar cross-section signature for the aircraft.